NASM Nutrition Certification (EXAM)
UPDATED ACTUAL Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
SCOFF questionnaire - CORRECT ANSWER - Basic yet reliable set of five questions that
help assess whether an eating disorder exists.
Do you make yourself Sick because you feel uncomfortably full?
Do you worry that you have lost Control over how much you eat?
Have you recently lost more than One stone (14 lbs) in a 3-month period?
Do you believe yourself to be Fat when others say you are too thin?
Would you say that Food dominates your life?
Scientific Method - CORRECT ANSWER - The process of formulating explanations
about the natural world and testing those explanations with experiments and data.
1. Identify a Problem
2. Formulate a hypothesis
3. Design a study to test the hypothesis
4. Collect data
5. Discard or change the hypothesis OR continue testing
Evidence-Based Practice - CORRECT ANSWER - A three-pronged approach to working
with clients, which consists of making decisions based on the weight of the scientific evidence,
field observations, and individual client needs and preferences.
Prediction - CORRECT ANSWER - An expected outcome generated from a hypothesis
,Theory - CORRECT ANSWER - A hypothesis or set of hypotheses for which a large body
of high-quality evidence has been accumulated.
Hierarchy of Evidence - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Systematic Reviews
2. Randomized Controlled Trials
3. Observational Research
4. Peer Reviews
5. Non-Peer-Reviewed Media, including anecdotes
Anecdote - CORRECT ANSWER - an account of a person's experience or event
Uncontrolled Variable - CORRECT ANSWER - A variable in an experiment that a
scientist makes no effort to manipulate or account for.
Primary Research - CORRECT ANSWER - Original research where scientists perform
experiments and collect data - this is in contrast to secondary research where scientists analyze
data that has already been collected or published elsewhere.
Observational Research - CORRECT ANSWER - Research in which a researcher observes
ongoing behaviors to determine correlation.
Correlation - CORRECT ANSWER - A relationship between two or more variables.
Randomized Control Trial (RCT) - CORRECT ANSWER - A type of scientific study/trial
where participants are randomly assigned into different groups - one or more will be the
intervention to be tested and one will be the control group. Groups are randomized and a control
is used in an attempt to reduce potential bias in the trial.
Independent Variable - CORRECT ANSWER - The variable scientists manipulate in an
experiment.
,External Validity - CORRECT ANSWER - The ability to generalize the results of a study.
Systematic Review - CORRECT ANSWER - A review where scientists systematically
gather all research on a topic and evaluate it based on predefined criteria and rules.
Meta-Analysis - CORRECT ANSWER - A statistical analysis of a group of studies to
assess the overall weight of the evidence.
Empirical - CORRECT ANSWER - Based on observation or experience.
Test-Retest Reliability - CORRECT ANSWER - The ability to get similar results when
something is measured under the same conditions.
Reliability - CORRECT ANSWER - The consistency of a measure.
Validity - CORRECT ANSWER - The assessment of whether a tool is measuring what it
is supposed to measure.
Selection Bias - CORRECT ANSWER - A sample of people under study is not
representative of the larger population that scientists are looking to make inferences about.
Retrospective - CORRECT ANSWER - Describes a study that looks backward in time.
Recall Bias - CORRECT ANSWER - The inability to accurately remember past behaviors.
Health - CORRECT ANSWER - A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-
being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
, Homeostasis - CORRECT ANSWER - The tendency toward a relatively stable
equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological
processes.
Disease - CORRECT ANSWER - A disorder of structure or function in a human, animal,
or plant, especially one that produces specific signs or symptoms, affects a specific location, and
is not simply a direct result of physical injury.
Noncommunicable Disease - CORRECT ANSWER - A noncommunicable disease (NCD)
is a medical condition or disease that is not caused by infectious agents; it can refer to chronic
diseases which last for long periods of time and progress slowly.
Communicable Disease - CORRECT ANSWER - Infectious diseases caused by
microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi that can be spread (directly or
indirectly) from one person to another.
Wellness - CORRECT ANSWER - The fluid process of improving the emotional,
occupational, physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual components of life, dynamically leading
to a better state of health and well-being.
Obese - CORRECT ANSWER - A high degree of excess body fat - a BMI greater than 30.
Biometrics - CORRECT ANSWER - The technical term for measurements and
calculations related to human physical characteristics.
Satiety - CORRECT ANSWER - A feeling of fullness and satisfaction.
Palatability - CORRECT ANSWER - The degree of pleasure or taste provided by a food -
a highly palatable food is one that is tasty and pleasant to consume.
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) - CORRECT ANSWER - The energy currency of life.
UPDATED ACTUAL Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
SCOFF questionnaire - CORRECT ANSWER - Basic yet reliable set of five questions that
help assess whether an eating disorder exists.
Do you make yourself Sick because you feel uncomfortably full?
Do you worry that you have lost Control over how much you eat?
Have you recently lost more than One stone (14 lbs) in a 3-month period?
Do you believe yourself to be Fat when others say you are too thin?
Would you say that Food dominates your life?
Scientific Method - CORRECT ANSWER - The process of formulating explanations
about the natural world and testing those explanations with experiments and data.
1. Identify a Problem
2. Formulate a hypothesis
3. Design a study to test the hypothesis
4. Collect data
5. Discard or change the hypothesis OR continue testing
Evidence-Based Practice - CORRECT ANSWER - A three-pronged approach to working
with clients, which consists of making decisions based on the weight of the scientific evidence,
field observations, and individual client needs and preferences.
Prediction - CORRECT ANSWER - An expected outcome generated from a hypothesis
,Theory - CORRECT ANSWER - A hypothesis or set of hypotheses for which a large body
of high-quality evidence has been accumulated.
Hierarchy of Evidence - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Systematic Reviews
2. Randomized Controlled Trials
3. Observational Research
4. Peer Reviews
5. Non-Peer-Reviewed Media, including anecdotes
Anecdote - CORRECT ANSWER - an account of a person's experience or event
Uncontrolled Variable - CORRECT ANSWER - A variable in an experiment that a
scientist makes no effort to manipulate or account for.
Primary Research - CORRECT ANSWER - Original research where scientists perform
experiments and collect data - this is in contrast to secondary research where scientists analyze
data that has already been collected or published elsewhere.
Observational Research - CORRECT ANSWER - Research in which a researcher observes
ongoing behaviors to determine correlation.
Correlation - CORRECT ANSWER - A relationship between two or more variables.
Randomized Control Trial (RCT) - CORRECT ANSWER - A type of scientific study/trial
where participants are randomly assigned into different groups - one or more will be the
intervention to be tested and one will be the control group. Groups are randomized and a control
is used in an attempt to reduce potential bias in the trial.
Independent Variable - CORRECT ANSWER - The variable scientists manipulate in an
experiment.
,External Validity - CORRECT ANSWER - The ability to generalize the results of a study.
Systematic Review - CORRECT ANSWER - A review where scientists systematically
gather all research on a topic and evaluate it based on predefined criteria and rules.
Meta-Analysis - CORRECT ANSWER - A statistical analysis of a group of studies to
assess the overall weight of the evidence.
Empirical - CORRECT ANSWER - Based on observation or experience.
Test-Retest Reliability - CORRECT ANSWER - The ability to get similar results when
something is measured under the same conditions.
Reliability - CORRECT ANSWER - The consistency of a measure.
Validity - CORRECT ANSWER - The assessment of whether a tool is measuring what it
is supposed to measure.
Selection Bias - CORRECT ANSWER - A sample of people under study is not
representative of the larger population that scientists are looking to make inferences about.
Retrospective - CORRECT ANSWER - Describes a study that looks backward in time.
Recall Bias - CORRECT ANSWER - The inability to accurately remember past behaviors.
Health - CORRECT ANSWER - A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-
being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
, Homeostasis - CORRECT ANSWER - The tendency toward a relatively stable
equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological
processes.
Disease - CORRECT ANSWER - A disorder of structure or function in a human, animal,
or plant, especially one that produces specific signs or symptoms, affects a specific location, and
is not simply a direct result of physical injury.
Noncommunicable Disease - CORRECT ANSWER - A noncommunicable disease (NCD)
is a medical condition or disease that is not caused by infectious agents; it can refer to chronic
diseases which last for long periods of time and progress slowly.
Communicable Disease - CORRECT ANSWER - Infectious diseases caused by
microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi that can be spread (directly or
indirectly) from one person to another.
Wellness - CORRECT ANSWER - The fluid process of improving the emotional,
occupational, physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual components of life, dynamically leading
to a better state of health and well-being.
Obese - CORRECT ANSWER - A high degree of excess body fat - a BMI greater than 30.
Biometrics - CORRECT ANSWER - The technical term for measurements and
calculations related to human physical characteristics.
Satiety - CORRECT ANSWER - A feeling of fullness and satisfaction.
Palatability - CORRECT ANSWER - The degree of pleasure or taste provided by a food -
a highly palatable food is one that is tasty and pleasant to consume.
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) - CORRECT ANSWER - The energy currency of life.
